


Coward Montblanc

by AJRaffles



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Denial of Feelings, Feelings Realization, Hakuba Saguru Appreciation, M/M, Minor shinran, Pining, Where in the World is Hakuba Saguru?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:02:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27783439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJRaffles/pseuds/AJRaffles
Summary: Kaito struggles with the realization that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Relationships: Hakuba Saguru & Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid, Hakuba Saguru/Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid
Comments: 12
Kudos: 92





	Coward Montblanc

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the DECO*27 song of the same name and the woes of being a Saguru/Hakukai fan.

Ever since taking on Kaitou KID’s mantle, Kuroba Kaito’s career as a phantom thief has had no shortage of detectives. 

While the sheer number of them could often be rather inconvenient, he has never been one to back out of a challenge. To say that he thrives on attention would be an understatement, and it frankly is no mystery. Facing investigators coming from different walks of life, with their varying methods, and wit, and chances of success was nothing short of exhilarating. Burdensome, dangerous, reckless—yes, but Kaito finds it thrilling all the same. 

Over time, he had grown to enjoy seeing a couple of regulars at his heists. As he carried on with the taxing, Sisyphean task of finding Pandora, those brief encounters made it more bearable. It is a comforting thought, to believe the bond he shares with those meant to be his sworn enemies is based upon unspoken camaraderie, grudging respect, budding friendship.

Little _tantei_ comes to mind. 

However, as much as he hates to admit it, Hakuba Saguru was the one who had been there since the beginning.

The _great_ London Detective, and a royal pain in Kaito’s ass. 

Compared to other detectives he crossed paths with, Hakuba had always been different. With the English sleuth, it wasn’t only a matter of pleasantries at a heist, of interacting through tricks and riddles, of exchanging promises to outsmart the other at the dead of night. 

There was that, true, but that wasn’t all. 

Because none of the other detectives he encountered had taken it upon themselves to move across the world just so they could personally crash into Kuroba Kaito’s life. 

Leave it to _Hakubastard_ to do something as ridiculous as that. 

So he had. 

There’s a certain anger and frustration when comes when you’re rightfully accused of something you absolutely did. Hakuba, with his unwavering fixation on Kaitou KID, was always the best at pushing those particular buttons. 

Arrogant. Pretentious. Stubborn. 

The worst of the worst, and Kaito hates him the moment they meet. If only he’d pack his gaudy Sherlock outfit and go from whence he came. 

It’s true that any detective, Task Force included, can become a bit of a thorn at his side every now and then. Butl, at the very least, they have other jobs and cases and _lives_ to focus on. 

Not Hakuba. 

Kaito can’t understand why any of it matters to a high-schooler who has spent the last ten years outside Japan. Nonetheless, Hakuba’s obsession with KID is all-encompassing and relentless. 

The English boy doesn’t have, in the young thief’s eyes, anything that resembles a real life. 

—Or so he thought. 

The shift is subtle, imperceptible. In hindsight, Kaito realises he can’t narrow the exact moment when things changed. 

Over the course of the year, the English detective’s presence in heists became fewer and far in between. He made himself scarce in school, and his visits started to become more of a rare occasion by the day. 

Just how hadn’t he noticed? —Okay. So he _knew,_ of course he knew. The stuck-up prick wasn’t there nearly as often and that much was a fact. Regardless, there has to be a difference between not being there and being _gone_ , which Hakuba very much isn’t. 

The Brit is still there, in his life, wedged like the obnoxious pest he is.

...Right?

That much he lets Kaito know, during that bizarre call the Londoner makes from France. 

_I don't want to see you lose to anyone before I capture you myself._

The cocky bastard says that, but he’s the one who disappears. 

It’s only after months of skipping heists and school absences that Kaito starts suspecting that something’s seriously wrong. 

Holmes had come up in a passing comment during a lecture, and Kaito had been tempted to make a snarky quip at that self-important classmate of his. His eyes fall on the empty desk the blond used to occupy, and it hits him all at once.

Just _when_ was the last time he had seen Hakuba?

A couple of weeks at most, right?

He asked Aoko during lunchtime. 

“Hasn’t it been some time since that prick last showed his face ‘round here?”

His childhood friend blinks back at him, confusion clear in her face, “Huh? Bakaito’s noticing that _now_?”

“My, my, that’s rather cold Kuroba-kun.” Akako, as usual, enters the conversation uninvited. Her indecipherable smile does nothing to help Kaito’s nerves. “Considering Hakuba-kun has been away for three months now.”

“— _Haaaaaa?!_ ”

There’s no way that’s true. 

Something inside Kaito’s stomach drops and churns after he does the mental math. He finds himself hoping Akako’s making some joke at his expense, but sure enough, it seems to add up. 

But _how,_ just _how_ did it take him so long to figure it out?

In between heists, and calling cards, and the task force, and _meitantei_ , and the general chaos that his life typically entails, Hakuba had somehow managed to slip out. 

The fact it bothers him is ridiculous, because from the moment the detective had walked into his life, Kaito had only wanted him out. 

Perhaps even more absurd is that, the moment he makes this realization, thoughts of Hakuba will not leave his mind. 

Sometimes, it feels like he’s the only one bothered by it at all. 

Shortly after that, an incident occurs when KID happened to disguise himself as a police officer. 

While he patrolled the building with other members of the Task Force, one of them had begun to complain. 

“Aah, if only we had someone like Kudo Shinichi or Hattori Heiji-kun helping out…”

The other officers start voicing their agreement. Kaito can’t exactly pinpoint why he finds the need to add what follows. “...Yeah, even Hakuba-kun would do.”

“Huh? Who?” 

_You’ve got to be kidding me,_ is the first thing provoked by that response. It’s true that Hakuba hasn’t been present for some time, but for them to forget the first consulting detective that joined KID's pursuit?

“Ah!” Another of the men exclaims, as if he’s gotten to a brilliant realization, “You mean Sakuba Haguru-kun?” 

It gives Kaito a moderate degree of satisfaction after he knocks all of them out with sleeping gas before escaping; it relieves him of the guilt he feels after most definitely going a tad bit overboard with the pranks he delivers. 

After he goes to bed that night, the exchange bears heavy in his mind. The dismissiveness makes his blood boil far more than Hakuba himself once had. 

He doesn’t understand why he cares this much. 

After that, KID spends months placing hints in his riddles directly alluding to the London Detective, going after equally fitting targets, making public appearances and tricks he believes will catch his attention. 

It is to no avail. 

Three months turn into six, and that into a year. 

Kaito has made it through the better part of his final year of highschool when he wonders whether he should just give it up. 

He stands at the school’s rooftop, alone. The clouds above him move across a muted blue sky. A soft breeze runs through his hair. Caught up in the peace and quiet, he entertains an idea. 

If Hakuba’s so adamant about showing his face here, wouldn’t it be easier if he just chased after him instead? He briefly thinks of flying across the world, tracking his classmate down, and appearing before him while donning KID’s white suit. 

Stealing the London Detective back, figuratively. 

“As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think my magic has ever managed to make you this vexed, Kuroba-kun.”

Warmth spreads through his cheeks and he turns around to find the dark haired young woman staring at him from the doorway. The mortified look that probably flashes through his face soon changes to mild annoyance. It figures. Up to that moment, he had been enjoying a perfectly lovely time fantasizing by himself when the Scarlet Witch had decided to step in, uninvited. 

—Wait, _fantasizing_? He isn’t “fantasizing” about Hakuba, of all things. So he scratches the thought and stashes it away in the furthest depths of his mind. 

“Agh,” he groans, “Just leave me alone, Akako.” 

Much to his chagrin, she steps closer. That sly smile in her face, “Are you perhaps troubled by a certain missing white knight?”

“I dunno what you’re talking about, I’m leaving.” He stretches and starts making his way back inside. No amount of nonsensical scenarios are worth the trouble. 

“Say, Kuroba-kun, I was under the impression you wanted him gone.” She starts, and Kaito freezes at the door. “Should you not be grateful that he granted that wish?”

He doesn’t honor that with an answer. 

Later in the day, once the pale blue sky has taken on the reddish hue of evening, the walk back home alongside Aoko is unusually quiet. 

“Aoko’s worried about you, Bakaito.” She’s the one to break the awkward, heavy silence hanging over the air. 

“Huh?”

“There’s something bothering you, isn’t there?” his friend continues. “I can tell. Akako-chan said so, too.”

“Oi, Ahoko,” Kaito turns to her and flicks her forehead lightly, “...don’t just latch on whatever the witch tells you. 

“But she’s not wrong!” Aoko pouts and crosses her arms. The childish gesture quickly gives way to genuine concern, “C’mon, Kaito...You’re Aoko’s best friend, you know that, right?”

Kaito’s pride doesn’t allow him to say much to that, but the girl’s dejected reaction jabs at him. Without thinking much of it, he looks up at the afternoon sky while he walks. The golden sunlight shining down on them brings a thought he does not want to consider. 

Before long he starts speaking absentmindedly, “Isn’t it real stupid?”

Next to him, Aoko perks up at the prospect of an answer to her worries, “What is?”

“All that talk ‘bout catching KID and his stupid accusations and whatnot and then he just goes and drops off the face of the Earth.” Admittedly, he says more than he means to. It’s refreshing regardless, to rant this way. To spit his frustrations out, and finally voice them. “I mean, what kinda crappy detective does that?”

He groans again, then adds, “What, did he just get bored of KID or something?”

His own mindless words end up striking a nerve within him. 

_...Did he?_

Kaito’s throat suddenly goes dry. That incomprehensible tightness in his chest twists and turns until it’s stifling and painful. After all of his attempts of getting the other boy’s attention, it’s clear that if Hakuba isn’t here, it’s because he doesn’t want to be. 

That bothers him because…because?

“...Hey, Kaito.” His childhood friend places a hand on his arm and squeezes in an attempt at reassurance. He looks at her, and there’s an unspoken melancholy to her smile that does nothing but rub salt into a gaping wound. “Aoko misses Hakuba-kun, too.”

When had others started to pity him? 

There’s a Sunday afternoon where Kaito finds himself walking mindlessly across the streets of Beika. Out of the corner of his eye, he catches a glimpse of two figures he instantly recognises: Mouri Ran —the girl tiny _tantei_ is so taken by— and the young Suzuki _Ojousan_. With locked arms, the two inseparable friends make their way into a trendy dessert shop.

Against his better judgement, he follows.

He already half-regrets it when he steps foot in the store, but the other part of his brain celebrates the sweet benefits of acting on this particular whim. Namely, the large Mont Blanc that now sits before him. 

“Agh, that Shinichi…” Suzuki’s voice comes from behind him, and he’s fortunate that she’s loud enough that he doesn’t even need to try to eavesdrop. He’s sitting on a nearby table, facing away from the pair, and making sure to obscure his own features. “You’ve been dating this long and he’s still not back…” 

She proceeds to slam her drink against the table. “Unbelievable, I swear!”

“Don’t be like that Sonoko…” Ran laughs softly, and Kaito can picture the gentle, apologetic smile she’s making, “I’ve already waited this long, I don’t mind waiting a little longer.”

Without bothering to taste it, he swallows a large mouthful of hazelnut cream. 

How anyone manages to be this patient, he doesn’t know. 

“Besides…” Ran continues, “I know he’s going to come back.” 

The boy wonders if things like this always tasted this bitter.

“He made a promise, after all.” 

He gets up and exits the store. A half-eaten dessert is left behind.

...A promise, huh?

  
  


When he holds a heist later on, even Kaito can admit that the entire thing is somewhat uninspired: A simple, straightforward trick, a lackluster chase, a foreseeable ending. He’s well aware he’s just going through the motions. 

It’s rather predictable at this point. He can tell, even before he holds his target up under the moonlight, that this is not the gem he’s looking for. 

The exhausted sigh he lets out seems to echo in the empty rooftop. For whatever reason, it’s not nearly as fun anymore.

In a perfectly rehearsed motion, the poker face slips back on as soon as he hears the pint-sized detective step in through the door. 

“That was pretty uncharacteristic, KID,” Is what Edogawa Conan says, aiming his wristwatch in the thief’s direction. “Running out of ideas?” 

Ideas? No. Patience, more like.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you _wanted_ to get caught.”

Caught? Of course not. Kaito’s putting the minimum amount of effort to make sure that doesn’t happen. Now that he’s come this far it would be a waste for him to lose.

...But, be that as it may, he’s not really giving it his all, is he?

Hakuba would probably be disappointed. 

_Do your best at least._

That’s true.

Hakuba was genuine when he said that back then. This is what Kaito wants to believe.

He turns around to face one of his most esteemed adversaries. KID’s white cape sways gently in the night’s breeze as he greets the small critic with a grin. “I was just thinking, _Meitantei,_ about that girl you’re always with.”

“Wha—” It catches the kid off guard. It still is rather amusing, he thinks, how easy it is to rile the small detective up whenever he mentions the subject. “If you’re getting any weird ideas about Ran, KID I swear I—”

“Don’t misunderstand. There’s a matter I just find interesting, is all.” The thief shakes his head and cues one of his carefully practiced KID laughs, “You see, I’ve come to find that a common trait among you detectives...” 

“Eh?”

In a swift movement, he tosses the night’s target in _tantei-kun’s_ direction.

“...Is how you keep making the person who likes you wait.” 

The weight of what he says seems to be partly lost on Edogawa, who looks at him with a suspicious but puzzled expression. 

“Sorry, but I’m cutting our meeting short, _Meitantei_.” Kaitou KID takes a bow and steps back, closing in on the edge of the building. “After all, the one who will catch me…”

Still midsentence, Kuroba Kaito lets himself fall. 

(...Has already been decided.)

The sound of his words is muffled by that of the fall. By the wind in his ears, his racing heart, and his hang glider as it opens. 

_...So just hurry back already, asshole._

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading "Saguru where are you please come back I'm begging you Gosho please for the love of god PLEASE" the oneshot. 
> 
> I can't believe I've been in this fandom for well over a year now and haven't gotten around posting anything for these two. I really wanted to fix that. 
> 
> ...Yes, I only write detective-phantom thief pairs who mutually pine for each other over the course of several years. 
> 
> I love these two so much, I'm making it my 2021 resolution to get around posting a longer, plotted fic about them. In the meanwhile, I hope this was enjoyable! 
> 
> Shoutout to every Saguru and Hakukai fan out there!!!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://justiceraffles.tumblr.com/)


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